Karabatic: Never expected to play Olympics at age 40

Karabatic has won everything there is to win in handball. He has taken 11 trophies with France: Three at the Olympic Games (2008, 2012 and 2021), four at World Championships (2009, 2011, 2015 and 2017) and four at European Championships (2006, 2010, 2014 and 2024). In addition, there were two silver medals (2016 Olympic Games and 2023 World Championship) and four bronze (2005 and 2019 World Championships and European Championships in 2008 and 2018).

Karabatic has played 27 major tournaments with the national team since 2003 — five Olympic Games (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2021), and 11 at each the World and European Championship. Karabatic only missed one tournament — the 2021 World Championship in Egypt — due to injury. 

He won the EHF Champions League three times, with three different clubs (Montpellier in 2003, Kiel in 2007 and Barcelona in 2015), plus 22 national championship titles in 23 years in three countries (Germany, Spain and France). Karabatic is the only athlete ever to have won the French championship in a team sport 16 times (seven times with Montpellier and nine times with PSG).

On Saturday, the three-time IHF World Player of the Year will play his last match on German ground, where he became champion four times with THW Kiel, with a test match versus Germany to start the last two weeks of preparation. 

eurohandball.com: What memories do you associate with Germany?

Nikola Karabatic: Germany played a very big role in my career. As a child, I dreamed of playing in Kiel and in the Bundesliga. Then I played for four years under Noka Serdarusic in Kiel, arrived at the age of 21 and was IHF World Player at the age of 23 — thanks to Noka, thanks to Kiel and thanks to the Bundesliga. Every time I came to Germany, whether with the club or the national team, it felt like home. There is a great atmosphere in every hall. Germany is the home of handball. Germany has always played a big role in my life. Now I want to do my best to be among the 14 players for Paris when I play in Germany for the last time. 

eurohandball.com: Despite some injuries in recent years, you always dreamed of ending your career in Paris. What do the home Olympic Games in Paris mean to you?

Nikola Karabatic: After the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, I was asked: Are you going to continue? I wanted to, but I didn't know if I would make it to Paris. I'm 40 now, it's the Olympics, and we have a lot of young people in the squad who are putting pressure on me. I decided to see how I feel after each season. Actually, I'm surprised that I can still go full throttle at the age of 40 and still have so much enthusiasm for handball. It's incredible to see that I'm still here — I became European champion at the age of 39. I'm so happy, but I also worked so hard for it. You have the dream of the Olympics at home, as that only happens once every 100 years, and I thought: The Olympics will come to Paris when I turn 40. That's too late. Now I feel lucky to be fighting for a place in the squad. There is no greater highlight than the Olympics at home.

eurohandball.com: In January, you visibly enjoyed celebrating the EHF EURO trophy after winning the final against Denmark in Cologne. You were the last one on the court, taking photos with your family. How important was this gold to you?

Nikola Karabatic: It's more than a dream to win a gold medal at the age of 39. It's incredible to play in the national team, in which you have the best players in the world in every position. I never thought that I would still be able to play for PSG and in the national team at the age of 40. I was on the court in Cologne for so long after the winner ceremony to experience these emotions with my family. That was a huge gift for me. Now I might want to experience these emotions again in the summer.

eurohandball.com: Have you already thought about what the first day after handball will look like?

Nikola Karabatic: I'm looking forward to this first day after my career, without training, with lots of time for family and friends. I want to see what life is like without competition and training. It won't be easy, because it will be a completely different life — a new life. Maybe we should talk about it in a few months.

eurohandball.com: Will you stay in handball?

Nikola Karabatic: I have many projects ahead, starting with investments in startups where I want to pass on my experience as an athlete to the founders — everything I've learned in handball can also be used in business. I will also talk to PSG about what we can do next, but I don't want to become a coach or manager straight away. I want to have free time for my family or to visit friends all over Europe. I also want to develop the handball camp for young handball players that I built up with my brother Luka. There were requests from the media to be a co-commentator, but I also want to go to the Superbowl. I want to see Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena and Dortmund in the Signal Iduna Park.

eurohandball.com: On your farewell tour in the 2023/24 season, you were celebrated in every hall and shown respect everywhere. How was that experience?

Nikola Karabatic: It was just awesome. This season I played against every club I ever played for before. It started in the French Cup against Frontignan, my first club. That was just crazy. Then against Kiel, Montpellier, Aix and Barcelona, in the French league or the EHF Champions League. Everything was incredible. In almost every hall there was a great reception. There were a lot of emotions, and I was just happy. My last game in Bercy, with 15,000 fans, was also an awesome experience. I am so happy that I was able to experience this season like this. And I had the opportunity to experience everything differently, with more fun and more relaxed. 

eurohandball.com: Nikola Karabatic and Mikkel Hansen — two handball legends are retiring this summer. What is your relationship with Mikkel like?

Nikola Karabatic: It’s not just the two of us — Uwe Gensheimer has also retired and is also a legend. It’s unbelievable that we all played together at Paris. Mikkel is part of my career in the club, but also in the national team — we played incredible finals against Denmark. Those are sensational memories. It’s a nice sign that we’re retiring at the same time. We’ve played against each other and together. We’re very good friends. And on the first match day at the Olympic Games in Paris it’s France against Denmark. I hope that we’re both in the squad, play against each other again and that we [France] win.

eurohandball.com: The Olympic handball medals will be awarded in Lille, where you played some World Championship matches in 2017. What do you think about that?

Nikola Karabatic: At the beginning, handball was only supposed to be played in Lille. We weren't so happy with that because there would have been no Olympic atmosphere. No Olympic Village. Then it was changed. Now we have a week in Paris, a week in Lille and we will feel that Olympic atmosphere in Paris and live in the Olympic Village. And playing in Lille in front of 28,000 people will be nice too. We can show the IOC that handball is a huge sport. A few years ago, they wanted to take handball out of the Olympic programme. Now we can prove that they are on the right track.

eurohandball.com: If you look back on your 22 years as a national player, what was the best tournament?

Nikola Karabatic: I have played far too many tournaments [to pick one], but when we played the World Championship in France in 2017 and became world champions, that was something different. It was the only time in 22 years that I played a major tournament at home. The feeling was just huge — the whole of France was crossing their fingers, the media interest was so big, the energy was amazing. That's why I'm looking forward to the Olympic Games at home, because in 2017, I felt how beautiful and how great it is to play and win at home.

Photos © kolektiff images